this is bbc news, i'm lewis vaughanjones. our top stories: the former crown prince ofjordan says he's been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown on government critics. in a video passed to the bbc, prince hamzah denies any wrongdoing. i am not the person responsible for the breakdown in governance, for the corruption and for the incompetence that has been prevalent in our governing structure for the last 15—20 years. christians celebrate easter — but for the second year running covid means services are scaled back.

the governor of the us state of georgia strikes back after major league baseball moves its all—star game out of the state. ten ethnic rebel groups in myanmar throw their support behind people protesting against the military�*s power grab. and a pharaoh—led journey through the streets of cairo — the mummies of 22 ancient egyptian rulers, transported to a new resting place. hello and welcome to bbc news. we start in jordan. the half brother of king abdullah says he's been placed under house arrest and we know a number of top officials have also been detained in a security operation. prince hamzah, who was removed as crown prince in 2004, has accused jordan's leaders

of incompetence, corruption and harassment. thejordanian military denies he's been detained, but says he was told to stop any action that could undermine the country's security and stability. this is prince hamzah, the half brother of king abdullah. a statement from the chairman of thejoint chiefs of staff confirms that a number of other seniorfigures are under arrest, including a member of the royal family and former envoy to saudi arabia. prince hamzah has denied any wrongdoing in a video passed to the bbc via his lawyer. i had a visit from the chief of the general staff of thejordanian armed forces this morning, in which he informed me that i was not allowed to go out, to communicate with people or to meet with them. because in the meetings i had been present in, or on social media relating to visits i have made,

there has been criticism of the government or the king. i asked him if i was the one criticising, he said no. he said this was a warning from him, from the chief of police, and from the chief of the security services, the mukhabarat, that i should not leave my house, that i could only visit family, that i could not tweet, and that i could not communicate with people. since then, a number of people i know, my friends, have been arrested. my security has been removed. and the internet and phone lines have been cut. this is my last form of communication — satellite internet — that i have. i've been informed by the company that they are instructed to cut it, so it may be the last time i am able to communicate. earlier, the bbc�*s chief international correspondent lyse doucet

was asked if these high profile arrests were in response to a coup attempt. a few hours ago when these reports first started emerging, it was the washington post quoting senior intelligence officials in the region, spoke of a thwarted coup attempt — that has stunned observers, jordan is a close strategic ally of the us and britain, long regarded as this oasis of stability in the middle east, and this has led now to a wave of reports, you have mentioned some of them, we are still trying to get clarity, but the state news agency were the first to say, to say, no, it is not true that the former crown prince hamzah has been placed under house arrest, but they did confirm a number of other senior officials had been arrested. it seems a long stretch to talk about this as a reported coup attempt, but it does seem as though the powerful intelligence agencies injordan have been rattled

by what seemed to have been meetings between prince hamzah and members of thejordanian society, including prominent tribes, and in his video, prince hamzah said he wasn't the person expressing criticism but he spoke about corruption, nepotism, incompetence, he said that even the slightest of criticism in the kingdom was met with arrest and abuse. this is a really, really shocking unveiling of some of the strains in the royal hashemite kingdom, and i think we haven't seen the end of this royal crisis. dalia fahmy is an associate professor at long island university. she's in newjersey now. thank you for coming on the programme. first of all, what is your reaction to what we have been hearing? it’s is your reaction to what we have been hearing? it's not really surprising, _ have been hearing? it's not really surprising, there - have been hearing? it's not| really surprising, there have been rumblings on the ground for a couple of years now. king

abdullah has been a king who has undertaken quite a bit of economic reforms but not political reforms, especially since the arab spring. the former crown prince, because the king removed the title four years into his reign, to be meeting with tribal elders and talking to their discontent with this king comes at a time whenjordan has been hurting economically, the king has been touting the fact thatjordan�*s foreign debt has reached 95% of the country's gdp. this increase is really due to several challenges in the region today, a decrease in tourism, increased spending on the military, the pandemic, and of course the decade—long refugee crisis. of course the decade-long refugee crisis.— of course the decade-long refugee crisis. sorry to “ump in, but refugee crisis. sorry to “ump in. but givenfi refugee crisis. sorry to “ump in, but given the i refugee crisis. sorry to jump in, but given the longest - refugee crisis. sorry to jump in, but given the longest ofl in, but given the longest of problems you listed, and clearly criticism, but to those

factors amount to a coup attempt?— factors amount to a coup attemt? ., ., , ., , factors amount to a coup attemt? ., ., , , attempt? not a coup attempt but it definitely — attempt? not a coup attempt but it definitely signals _ attempt? not a coup attempt but it definitely signals a _ attempt? not a coup attempt but it definitely signals a rift - it definitely signals a rift within the government, especially the kingdom itself. again, wejust especially the kingdom itself. again, we just saw a cabinet reshuffle a month ago due to corruption. when the former crown prince says, this is a government full of corruption, that there is nepotism, he is indicating a risk that society has been talking about. remember, king hussein was popular among the people because jordan was popular among the people becausejordan was economically stable. today, you have a loan from the imf that requires austerity measures to be met by austerity measures to be met by a certain time, so you have pain within the country. you are seeing that the king today is not measuring up to his father. the former crown prince, who the late king hossain wanted to become king eventually, is now appealing to

society who want to move away from the current king. [30 society who want to move away from the current king.— from the current king. do you think criticism _ from the current king. do you think criticism of _ from the current king. do you think criticism of prince - think criticism of prince hamzah as someone bitter and passed over years ago... inaudible. being cast aside because of that? it being cast aside because of that? . ., , , ., that? it could be, but on the other hand _ that? it could be, but on the other hand he _ that? it could be, but on the other hand he is _ that? it could be, but on the other hand he is reflecting . other hand he is reflecting what is being said in public, especially among those hurting the most, the shrinking middle—class and the tribal elders. he is reflecting things, but for him to say it and put out a video in english really targeting the international community is really quite telling at this moment. really quite telling at this moment-— moment. extraordinary development. - moment. extraordinary development. thank i moment. extraordinary. development. thank you moment. extraordinary - development. thank you so moment. extraordinary _ development. thank you so much for coming on. new national lockdowns have come into force in parts of europe as countries struggle to contain a surge of

coronavirus infections. it means christian worshippers celebrating easter will, for a second year, be doing so under vastly different circumstances. tanya dendrinos has more. saint peter's busy liquor, one of the most sacred sites in christendom. and this, one of the most significant christian festivals. but for the second east are in a row, commemoration in the vatican have been scaled back. papal services are being attended by around 200 people. instead, of around 200 people. instead, of a sea of thousands. translation: in a sea of thousands. translation: , ., ~ translation: in these dark months of — translation: in these dark months of the _ translation: in these dark months of the pandemic, - translation: in these darki months of the pandemic, let's listen to the risen lord as he invites us to begin anew, and never lose hope.— never lose hope. italy is in the grip — never lose hope. italy is in the grip of _ never lose hope. italy is in the grip of a _ never lose hope. italy is in the grip of a third - never lose hope. italy is in the grip of a third wave - never lose hope. italy is in the grip of a third wave of| the grip of a third wave of coronavirus infections, facing around 20,000 new cases per day. in an attempt to prevent a

further surge over easter, the country is under a strict three day lockdown, with nonessential movement band. inaudible. there has been a drop in cases in france too. —— a rise in cases. schools and nonessential shops are closed, and travel is limited to within ten kilometres of a persons home. citizens were given a window of opportunity. the easter weekend. to see out the lockdown in a residence away from the city. translation: ~ ., , translation: ten kilometres in paris and ten _ translation: ten kilometres in paris and ten kilometres - translation: ten kilometres in paris and ten kilometres here, i paris and ten kilometres here, it is not the same.— it is not the same. business owners are _ it is not the same. business owners are hoping - it is not the same. business owners are hoping that - it is not the same. business owners are hoping that it i it is not the same. business i owners are hoping that it may be a saving grace. translation: ~ ., ., translation: we might do more business if people _ translation: we might do more business if people are _ translation: we might do more business if people are locked - business if people are locked down here. that is what we hoped for, anyway, so that activity can resume because we have been through a tough

winter. and now the good weather is back. people have come here to lock down, so it might be possible to work again in normal conditions. aha, might be possible to work again in normal conditions.— in normal conditions. a return to normal— in normal conditions. a return to normal is — in normal conditions. a return to normal is the _ in normal conditions. a return to normal is the overriding - to normal is the overriding hope, but one that remains difficult. meanwhile in germany, president frank—walter steinmeier has just given a televised address warning of a crisis of trust in politics linked to the pandemic. the president spoke during protests across germany about the government's handling of the crisis. these pictures are from stuttgart. 0ur correspondent damien mcguinness has more. so he had a couple of messages. 0ne message was to germany's political leaders, effectively bashing heads together and admitting that germany had made numerous mistakes when it comes to the vaccine roll—out, testing. but then his other message was to people themselves, to voters, and really tapping into this mood of frustration that we are seeing here in germany, and the mood

is pretty poor, i think, among many people. when it comes to the pandemic, people have had enough after a year of various sorts of restrictions. but his message was quite a stark one, saying, "well, it's no good complaining about other people or about those in charge. it's for all of us to act together, really", that's what he said. and so it was quite a blunt message, saying, "we have to decide what we can do together," effectively, as a country, notjust pointing to other people and saying what they should do. and he also tried to point out some of the positives and said that, and really hoped and predicted, that, over the next few weeks, in april, the vaccine roll—out should speed up. because the main problem here has been the number of doses coming to germany. he pledged that germany would get a lot more doses over the next few weeks. if that does indeed happen, that will really be a boost for the country because it will mean that the whole roll—out will start speeding up because that is one of the main

issues that people are unhappy about here. the governor of georgia has hit out at america's professional baseball league over its decision to pull its all—star game out of the state. the decision is in protest of a restrictive voting law in georgia. critics argue the law makes it harder for black people and other minorities to vote in elections. but here's the governor's reaction. major league baseball caved in to fear and lies from liberal activists. they ignored the consequences of their decision on our local community. in the middle of a pandemic, major league baseball put the wishes of stacey abrams and president biden ahead of the economic well—being of hard—working well—being of ha rd—working georgians, well—being of hard—working georgians, who were counting on the all—star game for a paycheque. joining me to discuss is eric mitchell, a sports analyst and co—founder of talent agency

life flip media. to use a weak baseball phrase, the governor has come out swinging and he is certainly not happy. what do you make of that? it not happy. what do you make of that? , , , h, that? it is funny he is so angry. — that? it is funny he is so angry. this _ that? it is funny he is so angry. this is _ that? it is funny he is so angry, this is not - that? it is funny he is so angry, this is not a - that? it is funny he is so angry, this is not a newl that? it is funny he is so - angry, this is not a new thing for major league baseball to make a statement. this past summer they spoke out about george floyd and breonna taylor. they said they would not tolerate racial injustice or racial inequality, though this comes after the commissioner had a very long conversation with players and organisations to make it very clear that they did not stand behind this. they are just following along what we watched the nba do in 2017 when in north carolina they passed laws targeting the lgbtq community. so major league baseballjust reacted like the nba and put their foot in the pond, reacted like the nba and put theirfoot in the pond, as i like to say, and touched the waters of social justice. like to say, and touched the waters of socialjustice. their response has been quite welcome

when you look around the world. interesting you say that, because other sports are more used to doing this, as you mentioned, in the us. they have been there a year or two ahead of baseball. significant in baseball because it doesn't have the reputation of black and minority ethnic communities that we see in basketball or whatever. so you expect this to be a bit behind but no sign it is going to be swayed by the comments of the governor. fine comments of the governor. one thin to comments of the governor. one thing to remember, _ comments of the governor. ole: thing to remember, civil rights is the heart of the issue. the bill made a lot of people of no matter what race very angry. at the end of the day it's about money. you touched on something interesting when you talked about the make—up for major league baseball. african—americans only make up a tiny amount in major league baseball. so for them to stand up, this is awesome. major

league baseball, you played a clip of governor kemp attacking stacey abrams. she and the senators from georgia both spoke out yesterday and said they were disappointed major league baseball did this but they understood, because they understand the economic impact that it has notjust on the team but all the people involved in the community. yes, it does, but at the end of the day stacey abrams and all those involved said they understand why because this law was discriminatory. at the end of the day it comes down to money and major league baseball is going to make sure they are taking care of the fans and want the players want. great to have your _ want the players want. great to have your thoughts. _ great to have your thoughts. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the former crown prince ofjordan says he's been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown on critics of the government. christians celebrate easter, but for the second year running covid means services have to be scaled back. to myanmar now, where ten ethnic rebel groups

have thrown their support behind people protesting against the military�*s usurpation of power. this comes as the military launched further airstrikes in myanmar�*s eastern karen state, killing 12 civilians according to the karen national union, which controls large parts of the state. it accused the ruling military junta of pushing myanmar towards all—out civil war. another armed group, the kachin independence army, has urged disaffected soldiers to join them. we spoke to poppy mcpherson — reuter�*s myanmar bureau chief, who gave us an update on the refugee situation there. a lot of them tried to go to thailand, tried to cross the border, have been stopped and are living on the few supplies they managed to take with them when they fled their homes. the thai leader said that he was going to welcome refugees, but that didn't

happen on the border, refugees were not allowed in by and large. some were allowed in but a larger group was told to go back to myanmar and are now living in a very precarious situation on the border, where karen groups, community groups, have been trying to deliver aid or trying to ensure that some humanitarian supplies get through to them. because obviously they are living in the jungle with very little to survive on. and they say that thai authorities have been blocking the delivery of aid. the ethnic armed groups have been fighting the military for many decades, and the army has never managed to get the upper hand over them. despite an unbalanced situation with the military — it has fighterjets, and the ethnic armed groups are fighting

mostly guerrilla warfare. if all the ethnic armed groups were to fight the military, which is a big if, as they have a lot of differences between them and not all of them have come out against the coup, the military would be stretched on the ground, but it still possesses the superiority in the air. the northern ireland secretary and first minister are among those who have appealed for calm after a night of violence in south belfast. petrol bombs, bricks and bottles were thrown at police, injuring 15 officers. eight people, including boys aged 13 and ia, were arrested. tensions have been growing. workers are reinstalling razor wire fencing and concrete barriers around parts of the capitol building precinct in washington,

after friday's attack in which a car ran over two police officers, killing one and injuring the other. william evans was killed when a car crashed into a security barrier before the driver approached officers with a knife. police then shot and killed the suspect. authorities said the attack did not appear to be terrorism—related. president biden has expressed his sorrow and the flag at the white house has been lowered to half mast, in the second attack on the us capitol in three months. there's been a stunning procession in the streets of cairo, to honour the mummified remains of 22 ancient egyptian rulers being transferred to a new home, hoped to be their final resting place. 18 kings and four queens have been carried for more than four miles through the city on gold—coloured custom—made vehicles designed to minimise vibration, towards the brand new national museum of egyptian civilisation. sally nabil in cairo

has been watching. a procession fit for royalty. the mummies of ancient egyptian kings and queens have left their residence in the egyptian museum in the heart of cairo. they have been moved to a new museum south of the capital, where they will reside for good. watching the royal mummies being moved to their new resting place is an impressive moment, a scene to remember. the monarchs making this journey include queen hatshepsut and king ramses ii, two of the most famous rulers in ancient egypt. it's very energetic here, a very vibrant atmosphere. the mummies parade in custom—made vehicles, fitted with shock absorbers to avoid damage

during the journey. the festival—like ceremony is meant to lure tourists back into egypt and was coupled with tight security measures. arriving in their new residence at the national museum of egyptian civilisation, the royal mummies were saluted with gunshots. they have been received by the egyptian president, who takes pride in such a dazzling event. the mummies will not be put on display straight away. it'll take a team of experts nearly two weeks to further examine them and unpack them. sally nabil, bbc news, cairo. peter der manuelian is a professor of egyptology and director of the harvard

museum of the ancient near east. hejoins me now. it's a spectacular show, isn't it? it was quite a spectacle, i saw it today, and hats off to the egyptians for pulling it off without a hitch. the stakes are pretty _ off without a hitch. the stakes are pretty high. _ off without a hitch. the stakes are pretty high, you _ off without a hitch. the stakes are pretty high, you don't- off without a hitch. the stakes| are pretty high, you don't want anything to go wrong. tell us why there was this journey being made in the first. i think it's high time to get some better conditions and climate control, to display these mummies and treat them with the respect they deserve. the egyptian museum in cairo is a spectacular building and a wonderful place with a wonderful place with a wonderful legacy, but there are just too many objects are there and it's time to spread the wealth a bit. a new museum opening soon and the egyptians have done a greatjob of moving the collections around and taking the best care they can. if this show was anything to go

by, pretty spectacular and well organised, what are we expecting from this new display? i expecting from this new display?— expecting from this new disla ? . ., , display? i hope that tourism will increase, _ display? i hope that tourism will increase, for _ display? i hope that tourism will increase, for one - display? i hope that tourism will increase, for one thing. | will increase, for one thing. no matter what computer technology we can come up with, there's nothing to compare to being in front of the antiquities themselves, seeing the archaeological sites in egypt. if the goal is to bring people back to the country, i hope it will succeed. the obligation _ hope it will succeed. the obligation now _ hope it will succeed. the obligation now with - hope it will succeed. the obligation now with new technology, 3d, immersive displays, actually you can no longerjust have the object itself, it's about providing experience and context for visitors. , experience and context for visitors. . , .. experience and context for visitors. , experience and context for visitors. . visitors. yes, you could almost call that educational _ visitors. yes, you could almost call that educational intent - call that educational intent attainment, to educate, inform and delight, and there are ways to do it on the internet, with stereo headsets, you can be there and not be there at the

same time, a wonderful way to get the education across. just on the risks. _ get the education across. just on the risks, when _ get the education across. just on the risks, when you move objects as precious as this, you have to be wary? shunt; objects as precious as this, you have to be wary? any time with the antiquities, _ you have to be wary? any time with the antiquities, ancient i with the antiquities, ancient egyptian royal mummies, statues, delicate woodwork, you have to pack it carefully and do conservation reports. in this case you are moving from one building to another, so the streets had to be repaved, shock absorbers on the vehicles, nitrogen in the display cases. everything done carefully and cautiously and i was pleased to see it came off successfully. $5 was pleased to see it came off successfully.— successfully. as far as we can tell, it successfully. as far as we can tell. it was — successfully. as far as we can tell, it was a _ successfully. as far as we can tell, it was a success, - successfully. as far as we can tell, it was a success, which l tell, it was a success, which is great. really interesting to have your expertise, thank you for coming on, peter. the former crown prince ofjordan says he's been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown

on critics of the government. you can reach me on twitter — @lvaughanjones. good evening. it's been another gloriously sunny day for some. let's take a look at where we had the best of the sunshine. much of eastern scotland today saw temperatures climb up just shy of 17 degrees. totally different story, unfortunately, across the north norfolk coast. with quite a lot of cloud, temperatures struggled to peek above seven celsius. and you can see that clearly on the satellite picture. we did have an improvement through the midlands and down towards dorset, but it's this window of clear skies that's going to just drift a little bit further south overnight, and that's where we'll see the lowest temperatures. so starting to see a change

into the far north of scotland, as cloud arrives here, and that's going to prevent the temperatures from falling much lower than 5—6 degrees. but maybe across the midlands and parts of wales, we could see temperatures around freezing, a touch of light frost not out of the question as well. so the high pressure hangs on in across england and wales, but here's our change with this cold front gradually starting to arrive into scotland as we go through easter sunday. so it's a change of fortunes, really. where we've had the best of the sunshine just recently, we're going to see more cloud and rain arriving by the end of the afternoon. by contrast, over england and wales, dry and sunny. and for eastern england, where we've had that miserable, cold, cloudy storyjust recently, 15 degrees with some sunshine through the day. getting cold in scotland as we go into the afternoon, 8—10 degrees the high. colder still once this weather front continues to push its way steadily south. it will clear the uk by the start of easter monday, but it opens the door to this bitterly cold air arriving. and it will be quite

windy with it as well. so not only is the wind direction coming from the north, it's going to be pretty gusty at times as well. sunny spells and scattered showers, but any of those showers, particularly across northern scotland, turning increasingly wintry — hail, sleet and snow mixed in. factor in gusts of wind widely in excess of iamph. your home thermometer or inside your car, it may well say 6—8 degrees. perhaps it's going to feel well below that because temperatures are going to feel more like freezing in places. so a bitterly cold day for easter monday. as we look further ahead, this cooler feel is set to continue through much of the week. gardeners and growers, take note — as the winds fall light, frost quite widespread. take care.